At the end of last weekend I came down with a cold, and didn't go to work on Monday. Within a few days I was feeling fine, but still had a little congestion and a lingering cough. I couldn't kick the cough, and it made it hard to breathe in the last portion of this race. This past week was a recovery week, and I took it very easy in hopes that I'd be better come race day.

I started out pretty conservative with a 6:25 first mile, then dropped to around 6:10-6:15 for the next five miles. At the half-way turnaround spot I was right on pace for 1:22, my goal time. However, my coughing was getting a bit worse. My HR for the first half was around 175, but as my cough worsened my pace began to drop because I wasn't getting enough air. Within a mile or two of the cough worsening my HR was in the upper 160's. A few other runners asked if I was ok. Yeah, other than not being able to breathe, I'm fine!

My legs felt great, but I wasn't getting the oxygen. It was pretty much: breath, cough, cough, breath, cough, cough.... I sounded like a 35 year smoker, and I was wheezing too when breathing. It didn't sound pretty and my pace around the 7 mile mark went from around 6:15 to 6:25 to 6:30 pretty fast.

Adding another 15 seconds per mile for the last five or so miles essentially took me from 1:22:xx up to my 1:24. I'm pretty pissed, because I know I have a faster time in me, but that will now have to wait until the fall, when I'll do a half prep in training for the NYC Marathon.

I still feel pretty good that I'll be able to have a good run split at the 70.3 Tremblant in four weeks. Now, I just need this lingering cough to go away so I can get back to training at full strength.

Not get sick!

Got some drinks and a few bagels, that walked back to my car - home a little after 9:00 AM, which was nice.


A lingering wheezing-cough!


This is the fourth year I've done this race, and I've been faster every time. This was still a half PR, but it wasn't very satisfying.